Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban led thousands of people in a peace rally in central Budapest on Saturday, demanding an end to the war in Ukraine and an end to escalating tensions between the West and Russia.
Orban warned thousands of people who had gathered in the Hungarian capital to protest against the Ukraine war and Europe’s refusal to move forward with peace talks that the emergency pause must be called off to prevent “the European train hurtling towards war.”
The rally, which came less than a week before the EU’s 450 million citizens head to the polls to choose their next members of the European Parliament, saw thousands of people march from the Széchenyi Chain Bridge to Margaret Island in the middle of the Danube, carrying banners that read “No to war”.
People gather at a rally in support of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his political party in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, June 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)
Prime Minister Orban has framed the upcoming elections as a life-or-death battle. Warned According to state broadcaster MTVA, “If the left wins, it will only be a matter of time before war breaks out…We need to prevent Europe from plunging into war and destroying itself.”
“They think they can win this war. But the euphoria of war is like a drug, and those who are addicted think they have no responsibility. They don’t listen to anyone, they trample on people. They have no remorse. We don’t matter to them, and neither do you, your life, or your future, which you work for every day.”
The prime minister called on peace advocates to support his party in the EU parliament vote, saying his government represents the “only pro-peace government” in the EU. “No immigration! No gender! No war! This is the position of the Hungarian government,” he said.
My hobby: Tug the boat and explore the Hungarian capital!
Contributor Viktor Orban upon Saturday, June 1, 2024
Orban appealed to the European Union’s “founding fathers” that he was right to seek a framework to prevent another major European war after World War Two, despite frequent accusations from Brussels and the media that he goes against the union’s principles.
“Now we are being seen as taking part in a new war. I will say it slowly so that people in Brussels understand: we will not go to war. We will not march east for a third time, nor will we go to the Russian front again. We have been there before and there is nothing to gain there,” the Hungarian leader vowed.
In his speech, Prime Minister Orban reiterated his call for peace talks between Kiev and Moscow, saying: “This peace cannot be won with weapons. There are no solutions to this war on the battlefield, only death and destruction.”
A man wearing a T-shirt featuring Orban and Donald Trump takes part in a “peace march” in support of Orban and his party, in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, June 1, 2024. (Photo by Denes Erdös/AP)
While Orbán initially aligned himself with other peace callers in the EU, such as Emmanuel Macron, this is no longer the case, as the self-described “Jupitarian” French president has completely reversed course and become one of the strongest voices calling for an escalation of the war, including the possibility of sending French troops into the battlefield.
Orban has argued that the European elections are crucial to preventing an all-out war between the West and Russia, and has consistently said that peace will only be achieved if Donald Trump is re-elected US president.
“I don’t think there is any other leader in Europe or America who is strong enough to stop a war,” the Hungarian prime minister said after meeting with the former president at Mar-a-Lago in February.
‘Bring back Trump!’ Hungarian PM Orban tells Tucker that only Trump can end Ukraine war and ‘save the Western world’ https://t.co/1OQf4px2sK
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 30, 2023
